NAFDAC to host international trade conference on food, drugs Feb

The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has concluded plans to host a world trade conference for the regulation of drugs, food and other products in the market in Feb.

The Director of Public Affairs, NAFDAC, Dr Jimoh Abubakar, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Thursday, on the strength of the agency’s collaboration with other global regulators on food, drugs and other products.

Abubakar expressed optimism that the planned conference would strengthen this collaboration.

“We cannot do it alone. Whether you talk of local and International collaboration, that has been a major strength of NAFDAC and this is because we partner a lot with others.

“We are working consistently with the U.S. Food and Drug Agency (USFDA), in terms of training and information sharing; and we are constantly in touch with the Chinese Trade Food and Drug Board, Health Canada and a whole lot of others.

“We are also collaborating with many of them in the West Africa Sub-region like Ghana Food and Drug Board, Senegal and the West African Health Organisation (WAHEO) in general.

“All these organisations come under one body – WAHEO – similiar to ECOWAS.

“In Africa, we have our own food and necessary regulatory agencies and we have done a programme together called `Regulatory and Harmonisation within West Africa,’’ he stressed.

According to the Director, the collaboration has gone far as NAFDAC tries to stabilise its relationship with food and other products regulatory bodies from Francophone and Anglophone countries to ensure maximum standards.

He said without such collaborations, it might be difficult for other countries to bring in their products to Nigeria.

According to Abubakar, apart from the West African collaboration, NAFDAC also collaborates with special bodies like the G8, G15 and others to ensure standards and mutual trade relations. (NAN)